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Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

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Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

How are you guys all handling the beginning of September? You know, the “start to a new year” as many of us know it. If you have kids (or if you’re just still in the back-to-school mindset from when you were a student all those years ago), you’ll understand the feeling of wanting to re-organize, clean up and purge all the unwanted things so you can start fresh.

Well, I have been thinking about doing all the ‘re-organizing things’ – like I REALLY, REALLY want to reorganize absolutely everything in my life, but these few months have been very unusual – for all of us!

For some of us, we have cleaned and reorganized and thrown away and checked a lot of things off of the dreaded to-do list. But, for others, the stress of what’s going on in the world is just too much and it makes some of us want to crawl in a hole and cry. For others, the wee bit of time that may have been added to our lives (say from not having to commute to work) has meant that we can do so many things that we have put off for years…that is, unless the stress of doing all those things has paralyzed you too. So many feelings out there…and they are all very valid!

For me, I have been busy with “administrative book things” but at the same time, wanting to make sure that I am still giving you new recipes along with kitchen and garden tips…I never want to be too busy to give you what you came here for in the first place!.

So, thinking that I should still be talking about the book, I thought I might start giving you some new dishes that take a recipe from the cookbook and change it up a bit. This one was just waiting to be transformed…

My orange soaked yogurt cake!

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

It’s a perfect recipe that uses that container of yogurt that is sitting in the back of the fridge and has an expiry date of yesterday. Except this time, I added some dark chocolate chips (because orange and chocolate are an epic flavour combo!!) and made it into cute little cupcakes!

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Drenched in an orange simple syrup (that ensures a super moist cake)…

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Topped with an orange buttercream (with a drop of orange food colouring to make it extra pretty – but that’s totally optional)…

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

And sprinkled with some extra dark chocolate chips for good measure! I know you want to try this…I do!

And I hear that tub of yogurt is saying, “heeeyyyy, if I had the options of becoming one of these glorious cupcakes or being throwing in the bin, you know what I’d choose, don’t ya?”…

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Orange Soaked Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Orange and chocolate have always been a great combo! Now in cupcake form an topped with an orange buttercream, you have a winner!!

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup melted coconut oil you can sub in melted butter
  • 2 teaspoons orange rind grated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 cup orange juice from the oranges you zest and add water to top up
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

For the syrup

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 -3 pieces orange peel

For the ButterCream:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3 to 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest finely grated
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons orange juice fresh

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • Line two cupcake tins with muffin liners.
  • Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside
  • Beat together the eggs and sugar until foamy. Add the melted coconut oil or butter, grated orange peel, and vanilla.
  • Add yogurt, juice, and dry ingredients to the egg mixture and gently stir; gently fold in chocolate chips
  • Spoon batter into muffin tins and smooth tops.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cupcakes are golden and firm to the touch. Once they are cool, remove the liners and place back into the muffin tins.
  • Combine syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until sugar is melted.
  • Remove the cinnamon stick and orange peel.
  • Poke holes into the top of the cupcakes and pour the syrup evenly over all the cupcakes while they are still warm
  • In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine the butter, 3 cups of confectioners' sugar, and vanilla and orange extracts until well blended.
  • Add the orange zest and 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. Beat until smooth and creamy.
  • Add more confectioners' sugar or orange juice, as needed, for spreading or piping consistency. Beat in a few drops of orange food coloring, if desired.
  • Use to frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to one month.